Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) - BBSRC Scholarships

What the BBSRC PhD funding gives you

You will be awarded a fully funded PhD place at University of Sheffield for four years. Each year, you will receive a tax-free living allowance (a fixed maintenance payment) at the national standard rate for research grants. For the 2025/26 intake, this amounted to approximately 24,000 (£20,780) euros. In addition, your tuition fees will be covered at the UK rate and you will receive funding for research costs. Funding is provided by the UK’s public research funding body for the life sciences and its partner universities. It is primarily administered through the ‘Yorkshire Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership’, a consortium of nine universities in Yorkshire and Teesside. You apply for a specific research project rather than proposing your own.

Who can apply

• Degree level: You are starting a PhD programme.
• Grades: You already hold a university degree with an ‘Upper Second Class’ classification (a British 2:1) or an equivalent qualification, or are expected to obtain one.
• Subject: All specialisms within biology, chemistry, physics or mathematics are open to you, provided you wish to apply this knowledge to biological issues.
• Where you study: The PhD programme is based at the University of Sheffield.
• Nationality: Applications are open to everyone, including applicants from the UK and from abroad (including the EU). Applicants from abroad must meet the University of Sheffield’s entry requirements for their respective country. Only a small number of full scholarships are awarded to international students, and these are reserved for the best candidates. You will also need to cover the costs of your visa, the NHS health surcharge and your travel expenses yourself.
• Background: There are no age or gender restrictions. Applicants from groups that are under-represented in academia are particularly encouraged to apply.

How to apply

Apply via the Yorkshire Biosciences DTP by selecting one of the projects on offer there. Industry-sponsored scholarships are advertised separately in the University of Sheffield’s list of PhD projects. Places are awarded through a selection process, so not every project will be funded. Application deadlines will only be announced once the relevant application round begins.

How realistic are your chances?

These are fully-funded PhD places, which are awarded following a selection process; as there are only a limited number of places available, the entry requirements are high. They are particularly high for international applicants competing for the few full scholarships on offer. If you hold a strong degree (2:1) in a relevant natural science subject and are a good fit for one of the advertised projects, you, as an applicant from the UK, have a realistic chance of success. Keep an eye out for the start of the application period and apply as soon as it begins.